Thursday, November 27, 2014

I have had this grinder for years and tear down and clean up every off season . It always seem to grind a little of the ends of newly mounted bedknives . In the past set up on most reels were OK 80% of the time . Some would cut on the ends but not the middle as well as they could . A light backlap takes care of it . Recently after grinding a new bedknife I put the front face against a new not mounted bedknive and notice the gap in direct relation to my problem . Hmm . ..got me thinking . The front face is not usually if ever distorted .top face on the other hand always are because no to bedbars are the same after a few seasons use .

Sooo .. I decided to mount a new bedknive and backed this center brace off so only the ends would touch . I kept adjusting it till I could hear the same drag across the entire knife .

I noticed during the season a few issues that would cause us some down time . There where a couple brittle hoses behind the front cowling .

Taking care of them on site with my hydraulic hose kit purchased through Lawsons a few years back . Had a few issues making my own hoses but have learned a lot recently with Lawsons help and getting only the fittings and directions related to my shop I can whip them up in no time . Notice the dry and cracked casing of the old hose in picture above . You would never no it was there with out removing shields and cowling . Preventing possibly problems before they happen is always a good thing especially when we use this unit for top dressing days . Otherwise it's mowing approaches and collars .

Similar hose on other end was also ready to go . I'm using bio oil in this model . So far so good . Works great and seems to run cooler .

Traction valve has been seeping all summer . A good time to take care of it in the off season . Comes out fairly easy from the under side .

Clean it off well in the parts washer . Removing this end . Shaft will come out from either end . I try not to lose the adjustment on the lock nut .

Came out with little effort.

Wasn't hard to see the cause off the leak . Seals where dried out and brittle .

When installing the new seal I put a little hydraulic oil on them. Install the square shaped seal first and then the o-ring behind it after . Both ends are the same .

Lube the shaft with hydraulic oil and slide it back in .

Replace or re-install cir-clip . Feel the inside edge of the clip the sharp edge faces to the outside .

Place shims and spring back on .

Re-install ..It's a tight spot for my chubby hands .

Line everything up and put the 2 mounting bolts in that hold it to the frame . It's a bit trying but can be done . Re-install hydraulic lines (3) and start machine checking for leaks .

Great access to everything with the floor pan off . Valve bank needed an O ring too on one of the lines .

Noticed that the lift arm bushings had a fair amount of play . I cut a groove in the old bushing with a narrow chisel . This is the best way to re-install them. I'll do both ends at the same time . When you have some old gear it will save you a lot of grief in mid mowing season by doing a good tear down on them for service and repair .

Friday, November 7, 2014

We have few '98 Club Car turf II left here . They don't owe us anything with 25 years of service . This unit was still running well but smoked a lot going down hill and started consuming a fair amount of oil . A machine this old we like to keep running with minimal expense . You can do a ring job for under $200 plus your shop time 6 to 8 hours .

Engine out and on the roll top . 30 min. to an hour .

Remove bolt holding the primary clutch on . It a clockwise off bolt .

The outside edge is threaded to use a puller . I like to put a little grease on the end . Using my impact gun use just enough tension to pop it off .

Off the engine . Stand off to the side in case it decides to fly off .

This engine runs clockwise . There are some models that run counter clock wise . So if your installing starter/generators you want to be sure you purchase the right one and pay attention to wiring .

Little tip from my shop teacher in trade school . If a bolt is rounded a bit ... tap the head with a hammer and try again . Works 90% of the time . Had a little problem with one of the side case bolts . Heat shields were removed previously .

Removed Head . I like to crack all the bolts loose a bit before removing them . Piston looks fairly clean .

Magnetic trays are great keep valve train parts in such an order to put them back in the same location later . Found a mystery washer in head .

This is as far as I'm going for tear down to replace rings . Remove connecting rod bolts . I use a small punch to mark cap and connecting rod on one side so it can be assembled back together . The cause was a broken top ring .

Pay attention to the top 2 rings . They have a little R on them that goes to the up side .

Always check ring end gap and file ends down if they are to tight . Specs are in the service manual .

Before installing rings you will have to deglaze the cylinder wall so the new rings can seat properly . I'm using 10w30 motor oil for lubrication . Clean everything up before rebuilding engine .

You should see scratch marks up and down cylinder .

Ring compression sleeve .

Lots of oil on piston and cylinder.

Using the but end of a wooden hammer works well to tap it back in . Watch out for the crankshaft journal . Line the connecting rod up . Piston only goes in one way and is marked on top . Service manual is very detailed .

Lining up connecting rod and installing bearing cap.

use the torque settings in the manual . You will have to rotate it either way to get the wrench in their .

Clean up block and head for head gasket install .

I don't have a valve spring compressor . I'm using my shop made tool a magnet and large washers .

Set the washer on the valve then press down ..I use the magnet to get the valve retainers out . If you give them a light tap first they will loosen up for easier removal .

Both valves needed a good cleaning .Most likely from burning oil all summer .

All ready for head gasket .

The pins(sleeves)in head help hold the gasket in place . Head gaskets are installed dry .

Should only go on one way .

Torque specs are in the service manual and recommend torquing head bolts in 4 increments .

I also line up timing marks so rocker arm install will be easier . The valves are not tight in this position .

Torquing head bolts like most gaskets they are done from the center out criss crossing pattern .

Slide the pin in lining up rocker arms .

Don't forget to install the mystery washer that you see in center of picture .

Case gaskets surfaces should be nice and clean and installed dry .

Don't forget to re-install spacer washers .

Replace crankshaft seal too.

Crankcase cover has to be torque down to specs too. Same idea work from the center out in a criss cross pattern . The service manual shows the proper pattern .

re install primary clutch ,..new oil filter..plug and oil .

Clean the engine cradle out.

re-install engine.

Hook up all wires and cables . Usually they are laying near their location . If it's your first time label everything before removal .

On the back of engine their are 2 studs that line up in the center location .

9/16 or 14mm can tighten them up from the under side . So when removing engine just take the 2 center nuts out on backing plate .

Install and tighten 4 engine mount bolts Try to line up in original location . You should be able to see the washer marks .

May have been the cause of the problem . Air tube was so thin it wore a good 2 " split in it . Temperary fix till the part comes in .

Works great . Started right up . Went for a cruise around the course .

Note : this just a ring job on an old piece of equipment to keep it in service cheap . The service manual is very detailed with specs for every wearable item in the engine if you choose to do a total rebuild . This engine worked great other than consuming to much oil .